Teams that "should" be here

After the wild back and forth game between the Jazz and the Warriors last night (not to mention the whole D-Fish story line) we should all come to the conclusion that this is one of the best series that we have seen in a very long time.

This is what an NBA playoffs should be ladies and gentlemen.

Lets not forget, NBA critics never gave these teams any chance at all during the first round. Initial projection is Mavs will sweep the Warriors and Rockets will win the series vs the Jazz 4 games to 1. People often say that these are the teams that "should not be here". Well sorry to disappoint you guys but one of this team will fight for the Western Conference title and has a legitimate shot at going to the NBA Finals.

First, the GS Warriors, dont let let that 42-40 record fool you, these Warriors are certainly better than those numbers. With their run and gun offense under the Nellie System the Warriors can certainly go all the way. The way they beat the heavy favorite Dallas Mavericks makes then capable of upseting any team in the league, during that series the Mavs never stood a chance. 3's are flying every, nobodys like Matt Barnes and Andris Biedrins becoming somebodys, Stephen Jackson proving he is a complete player offensively and defensively and the most important factor is Baron Davis solidifying his All-Star status. This is centainly NOT the Warriors that we've been watching for the past 5 years.

Now the Utah Jazz. The plays, the rotation, the cuts this is a dejavu 7 years ago with a cast lead by bound hall of famer Stockton and Malone. Different personel this time, lead by 2nd year superstar Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer the sets are the same but it is as effective as ever. This Jazz team had a more entertaining 1st round though, very competitive… the main question on that series: how can you stop a 7'6 monster like Yao Ming and a scoring machine like Tracy McGrady… the answer: turn you own scoring machine named Memo Okur into a defensive specialist and reload your AK-47. This series came down to the wire and the better team won.

This type of playoff series will only come once in a blue moon. Its not about the individual talent, its about the team. The score is tight from start to finish, 2 of the best (loudest!) home crowds, old school vs new school, power vs speed. These teams DESERVE to be here.

Boozer Injured!

now this is way fu*k!ng bad! just 1 day after Kirilenko went out with a sprain foot, Carlos Boozer followed with a bruised left knee, if you guys can remember Boozer single handedly destroyed the past 2 seasons of the Utah Jazz bec of his hamstring injury, well he's back boys and girls, tearing up the hearts of Jazz fans everywhere. with AK and Booze out, Milsap and Brewer need to step up big time. if Slone only have a player incubator so that he can make them mature faster believe me he would do it. its such a waste bec Booze is playing the best basketball of his career and Utah is on top of the standings because of his consistent power plays.

if utah is going to make the playoffs (now the "if" word is out g0ddm!) Boozer and Kirilenko are badly needed.

Kirilenko out with sprain ankle (again)

for the second time this season AK47 suffered a sprain on his right ankle in last nights game vs the Denver Nuggets. (last time was Nov 11 @ Milwaukee) the jazz got really lucky on this one bec 2 rookies steped up their game big time. DD's boy Ronnie Brewer scored six of his 12 points in the fourth and Paul Millsap added two blocks in the final period to help the jazz stop the high profile combination of Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony.

romeo expect these players (including my boy Harpring) to get alot of minutes bec of what happened to AK. this is bad bec Andrei is starting to get his game back after starting slow this season. All-Star weekend is comming, so that should give him enough resting time to be 100% by the start of the half season. rest AK REST!!! we need you bro!

Utah Jazz: Starter Review

 Being a Utah Jazz fan in the Philippines is a drag. games are rarely shown on tv, you can see sports article regarding the jazz once in a blue moon, you go to malls and look at sports establishments and not even one single nba item with jazz logo in it. the jazz is a good team, good franchise, good players… whats wrong with you people!!

its a big surprise to everybody (including me) about the jazz fast start in the still on going nba season. they started the season with a 4-0 mark and surprised everyone when they defeated post season favorites houston rockets and san antonio spurs. the jazz is now 23-10 4th in the western conference and 1st in the northwest division.

its a good start… but the main question is will it last? will they continue surprising people when playoffs arive? or the most dreaded question to every jazz fan… can they stay healthy?

lets analize the 5 starters on the jazz roster this year:

 (C) Mehmet Okur
Memo is often called the poor-mans Dirk Nowitzki. he can pretty much do all dirk can do but just a little slower. while i personaly love memo, i have to agree to that. he's a good spot up shooter can rack up 3's on a regular basis, can post up any player in the leage and he's a good rebounder. the only problem with memo is his quickness. he doesnt have a quick release, it would usually take him 1-2 secs before he fires up a 3 ball… now that is bad when your the 1st or 2nd option on your teams offense. opposing players can run towards you, block or distract you given that huge time frame. its a good thing that the jazz play system gives him enough space for him to set up those shots. the brightest spot on memo's game though is his clutch play. several game winning shots are included in this turkish snipers resume.

 (PF) Carlos Boozer
Booze is the biggest surprise not just in the jazz season but for the whole nba this year. avaraging 21.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, this double double monster is arguably the main reason why the jazz are in the tops of the nba rankings this year. the main concern about boozer is his health, he played just 84 games for the past 2 seasons bec of countless hamstring injury. if booze can continue his health streak the jazz can go all the way.

 (SF) Andrei Kirilenko
AK47 is the lone bright spot on the jazz defense this season. this long armed russian moves well w/o the ball and usually get his block shots on the weak side or on opposing teams fast break plays. he can also knock off open jumpers and is a good inside player as well. this guy is a freak and i mean that in a good way, long arms and good jumping abilty is what makes him one of the best off ball defender in the "history" of the nba.

 (PG) Deron Williams
this sophomore player from Ilinois University have certainly stepped out of Cris Pauls shadow this season. some fans were disappointed (including myself) that the jazz picked D-Will over CP3, stating that its the dumbest move the jazz organization has ever made in the history of the franchise… boy did williams proved them wrong. averaging 16.5 points and 9.5 assist per game, williams is the operator of the jazz offense. whether he will drive then dish to an open okur for 3, hit jumpers off of a screen from AK or reliving a Stock to Malone moment with boozer, this guy can do it all… and the most scary part, D-Will is only 21 yrs old, he's still improving.

  (SG) ???
this is bad… the jazz doesnt have a legit player to cover this spot this season, as i recall vs the Lakers, Mamba actually dropped 52 points against the jazz that night, then Redd fired 57 vs the Bucks and just last night T-Mac scored 44 points in a blow out against Houston. all of these comming from a guy from the shooting guard position. the jazz really cannot defend this position really well, AK can only cover much but we need a legit player that can stop bigtime scorers like them. right now Derek Fisher is the designated starter for this spot, he's an undersized guard with good range and a championship caliber exp. though fish is always having a hard time defending taller guards bec of his size and his slow movement speed, he makes up for it with his physical play that suits well with Jerry Sloans defensive system. Ronnie Brewer the "i-sprain-my-foot-while-walking" rookie can potentialy cover this spot, he's quick on screens and is very athletic as well. he's still a young guy though… lets just hope he's not a late bloomer.